Santos Organics: Your Environmental Not-for-Profit

Santos Organics is a community-centred environmental not-for-profit based in the Byron Shire, with stores & cafes in Mullumbimby, Byron Bay, and our warehouse in the Byron Industrial Estate. Our mission is to empower people and communities to live in a healthy and sustainable way, by providing them the knowledge, food, and goods they need to do so. As an environmental charity, our customers also know that any money they spend with Santos is an investment in their community, through the tens of thousands of dollars we spend funding local environmental and community projects.

 

We take our position as a leader in sustainable living seriously. When you shop with Santos, you know you are choosing products that have been hand-picked by our team, including our Ethics Researcher, for their high quality organic, biodynamic, GM-free, local, and/or fair trade status that makes them the best choice for your and our planet’s health. We buy from local farmers and producers as much as possible, so by shopping with us you can also be sure that you are supporting our local suppliers and reducing food miles and greenhouse gases.

 

We strive in every way to live our values in the way that we run our organisation. From the 100% renewable energy we run on to our recent transition to end the use of disposable takeaway cups in our cafes, we are committed to modelling the lifestyle choices we hope to inspire our customers to make.

 

Finally, as an environmental charity, all profits earned through our stores are invested in not-for-profits that are engaged in environmental outcomes. Whether it be our grant programs, or our sponsorship of local groups, events, and other projects committed to making our community more sustainable, you can be sure that by shopping with us you are also investing in the sustainability of our planet. 

 

Santos Organics, your not-for-profit environmental charity, is truly a new way of community food retailing.

 

 

 

The Santos Organics mission is to empower people and communities to live in a healthy and sustainable way. We serve our community with honesty and integrity and provide a place to shop, connect, and share. We build awareness around how to live in a sustainable way and distribute our profits to organisations focused on environmental outcomes. 

 

 

 

The name Santos comes from the vedic word, Santosh, meaning life-force. In Spanish the name Santos also means ‘Saint.’ As this was hard to pronounce for some, the ‘h’ was dropped off, making the name Santos.
 
Starting with such a noble vision in our original name, we feel that, through offering the best organic food for our community and supporting our community through our charitable activities, we are contributing to a bigger vision of making a difference in the world. This difference is cultivated through conscious choice and intentional actions leading to a sense of contentment, inner happiness and satisfaction in the lifestyle choices each one of us make. 


 


Santosh: Contentment, Satisfaction, Happiness



 

 

 

From serving bulk wholefoods out of a Holden ute in Main Arm in the early 70s, Santos Organics has grown and seen the opening of multiple retail stores throughout the Byron Shire and an online shop servicing customers all over Australia. As we have expanded the business, the focus of the organisation has stayed firmly rooted in helping people make healthy food choices, the provision of community service, and environmental responsibility. We are proud to be a part of such a vibrant and thriving community where our customers, staff, members, and management are passionate about both their health, and the health of the planet.

 

In late 2016, Santos Organics became a true not-for-profit social enterprise. Prior to the change, Santos Organics was a company comprised of approximately 90 unitholders, who had always been committed to supporting our community over making profits, by providing ethical and organic food and the tools and support for living more sustainably. The decision to become a not-for-profit was an ongoing process that engaged unitholders, staff, and our community in order to bring the business structure into line with Santos Organics’ longstanding values of commitment to community and the planet.

 

After officially gaining not-for-profit status in December 2016, the unitholders then became members of the organisation, and Santos Organics’ tenure as an innovative environmental charity began. This change has further enabled opportunities to support local growers and fund projects and organisations in line with our mission to empower communities. We have always been committed to giving back more than we take from our planet, and this structure change is another way to do exactly that.

 

 

 

Being the leaders in living a sustainable lifestyle in the Byron Shire since 1973 we are passionate about empowering our community to live in a healthy and sustainable way and in 2017 have introduced our home & lifestyle consultancy. This service provides expert knowledge to set you in the right direction to reduce your footprint.

Our 10-minute free phone consultation is the best place to start and from here we can assess the areas where we can provide the best advice to you and then develop the appropriate consultation plan to come and meet with you at your home or at ours.

Our comprehensive research delves into the kitchen, the bathroom, the pantry and the energy provider to ensure together we are making the best possible difference to the health of our home, community, and environment. This service is currently only available to residents of the Byron Shire. For more information click here.